Let Me Give You A Hand
by veryjaneeyre
Summary: When Big Time Rush returns home to Minnesota, Carlos and Logan are excited to finally have some alone time...which they promptly take advantage of in Logan's garage. Big Time Concert missing scene. Cargan.


This was written (a year late and in the wrong 'verse) for **Breila Rose**'s birthday. She asked me for Cargan fluff that including bickering. I tried my best and hope that people enjoy this. I really had fun writing it!

As usual, my undying gratitude to **Clarry** for the beta. :)

* * *

The chair and pool set-up outside Sherwood's Market is vastly different than the one at The Palmwoods. Gone are the sunkissed lounge chairs, cabanas and junior Olympic pool just outside the home of the future famous.

They are no longer considered to be "future famous"; not since Griffin dumped the band and they got politely evicted.

Carlos is trying to make the best of the latest curveball thrown at them, ie Big Time Rush and co.'s return to Minnesota, by relaxing in the plastic kiddie pool amidst the shadows of the market's roofing and occasionally splashing Logan and James in their nearby lawn chairs as Kendall collects the carriages scattered around the lot.

James starts complaining again about how everyone's giving up on the band _except_ him and Kendall retorts that they need to move on because no one's coming by to offer to make their dreams come true after he reiterates that Big Time Rush was no one's dream but James.

Carlos stands up in the pool, Logan also now standing not too far away, both waiting for the inevitable blow-up between their two headstrong best friends when a limo pulls up in front of the quartet. Carlos can feel his eyes widen as the guy in the backseat lowers his window and proceeds to give Kendall an invitation to skate with the Golden Gopher high school all-star hockey team on the upcoming weekend.

Carlos hears James vocalize his outrage and before he can blink, James is riding off on his bicycle, waiting for fame and fortune to find him once more.

Carlos thinks about settling back in the pool but before he can do so, Mr. Sherwood comes striding through his market's doors, demanding that Logan and Carlos leave the premises. Apparently he hasn't forgotten the amount of property damage the group caused before they accepted Gustavo Rocque's forced offer and briefly became a vocal group trying to take L.A. by storm.

Hopping out of the pool, Carlos follows Logan back to the vacant Mitchell residence at the wannabe-doctor boy's insistence. "After all, your parents are out, so what will you do in your house all alone?"

Carlos keeps quiet as he lets Logan think about the words he just uttered. Logan doesn't disappoint as his face goes red, implications of an almost-constant horny teenage boy, multiplied by weeks of always being in someone's space or someone being in his, plus empty house finally make their way to his giant brain.

"Maybe you do want to go home," Logan concludes out as he comes to a stop on the sidewalk in front of his driveway. "I'll just call Crestview Academy and see if I can get an interview within the next few days. You're never too young to prepare for your future, right?"

"We just came back, Logan. It's been less than a full day since our arrival. How about we do something fun?" Carlos wiggles his eyebrows at Logan. "I mean, you did point out that we're alone…." He grabs Logan's hand and makes his way over to the door on the side of the garage, bringing Logan with him. As Carlos predicted, it's unlocked and the knob turns easily in his hand. "Hurry up, Logie! You don't know how much time we'll have!" They enter the garage and Carlos drops Logan's hand as he takes in their surroundings.

Logan's already on the move. "We have to do it quickly. You know we can't be caught. Not after what happened the last time. Do you remember the lecture we got?"

Carlos snorts. "'You shouldn't be doing these things at your age!'" he mocks. "Our love is ageless, Logie. Ageless!"

"'You need to protect yourself every time, Logan! You never know what could happen! Just because Carlos wears protection doesn't mean you can go unprotected!'" Logan chimes in. "We were being safe. We're always safe, but they don't want to hear it."

"Where'd you hide the lube?"

Logan stops near the doorway leading into his house and looks around the garage's interior, eyeing the available space. "You always jump to the main event. We need to do prep first." He finds a tarp on a shelf near the back and spreads it out on the floor. The lube is right where he left it four months ago, behind the oil drip pan. Logan locates a few more things, laying them close by.

Carlos watches as Logan's hands grasp the hem of his grey v-neck t-shirt and pull it over his head, leaving him barechested. "Here? In the garage?" he squeaks out as the other boy reaches for the waistband of his dark boardshorts.

Logan appears exasperated as he yanks his shorts down. "We don't want anyone else seeing what we're doing! They don't understand our love. Where else would we do it? Now hurry up and take your clothes off!"

* * *

By the time they're done, both boys are sweaty and out of breath, laying prone, side by side, on the edge of the tarp.

Carlos rolls onto his back, awkwardly sliding around on the plastic thanks to the excessive perspiration before settling and staring at the ceiling in the dim daylight seeping through the garage's window. "You always make that fun. I can't imagine doing it with anyone else."

Logan's laugh rings out and echoes in the little space as he carefully rises to a sitting position. "Not to sound too cocky, but I do know what I'm doing."

Carlos lets out a resounding chuckle. "No you don't! But like I said, it's fun." He turns his head to face Logan. "I think my ass is still sore from last time, so we need to go slower this time. Unless you want to try something new?"

"Do you think we have time to try something new safely?" Logan looks intrigued by the idea, an eyebrow making its way to rendezvous with his hairline. "I have protection...somewhere. I can always pull out, you know."

Carlos shakes his head. "I think we should stick with tried-and-true methods. You know what I like." He climbs to his feet, picking up his maroon tank top from the floor. He slips it on, thankful that his sweat has somewhat dried. "Have you seen my shorts?"

Logan coughs lightly after choking on his saliva and points to a spot by the garage's sliding door ten feet away. "I think I kicked them over there when I was trying to get more wood."

Carlos grins at the embarrassed boy as he jumps into his bright, crazy-patterned shorts. "Always eager to get started," he teases. Before he can continue, the sound of a car door being forcefully closed comes from outside.

"Hortense? Are you home?"

Carlos feels his blood freeze and he goes cold all over. "Dude, it's your mom! We're gonna be in so much trouble," he whispers furiously, unsure just how much Mrs. Mitchell can hear. "Get your clothes back on and clean your face! She'll know what we were up to just by looking at you! I'll tidy up in case she comes in."

"How about you sneak out and run interference my mom instead?" Logan scrubs at his face with a damp paper towel as he asks, muffling his words slightly. "We'll talk later about how you need to improve your aim."

Carlos smirks at the disgruntled boy as he bounds out the garage's side door. He remembers at the last moment that he's trying to avoid getting himself and Logan into trouble and catches the door before it bangs closed behind him. He creeps forward and carefully peers around the corner to see Mrs. Mitchell hunched over her car's trunk, struggling with some for sale signs.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Carlos runs to the property's tree line and follows it to the road before he circles back to the Mitchell's driveway.

When he looks for Logan's mom, she's exactly where he doesn't want her- in front of the garage, door remote clenched between her teeth as she attempts to close the trunk and keep ahold of the multitude of signage. Time to go to work. "Hey, Mrs. Mitchell!" He waves excitedly. "Sell any houses lately?"

Her brown eyes flicker up to him and she seems to smile around her mouthful.

Carlos rushes to her, grabbing an arm full of advertising after taking the remote out of her mouth. "Here let me take those! That cannot have been comfortable! How've you been?" he asks, uncertain how long he should be stalling. Experience with his own parents tells him that she's going to catch on soon, if she hasn't already.

"I'm good, Carlos. The housing market's on an upswing, everything's good, especially now that Hortense has returned to Minnesota. I'm not sure he's home right now, he said something this morning about going to visit Kendall at his job." She shifts the remaining signs from her right hand to her left. "I'm surprised that you guys still hang out as much as you do after living together, but I think it's great that you support each other."

Carlos hears the house's front door squeak open.

"Mom? Did you call me?"

He cranes his neck around Mrs. Mitchell to eye Logan standing in the house's front doorway and can't resist teasing Logan while he has the opportunity. "Hey Hortense! Why aren't you out here helping your mother, hmmm? A good son always helps his mom."

"Just remember that when we're at your house. I help your mom more than you do!"

"No, you don't!" Carlos stops moving as Logan heads towards him and his mother. His hands go wild, regardless of the things he holds. "Name one time where that happened."

Logan takes the garage remote from Carlos and hits the button, all the while, making his case. "Carlitos, just yesterday I helped your mom drag in all the stuff you brought from L.A. because you were too busy running around cataloging changes to each room in your house."

The garage's car door sweeps open, the trio walking into it with the boys' "conversation" in full swing now.

"The living room is white, Hortense. White! You know why it wasn't white before? Because I lived there and I have friends like you! There are vases full of flowers everywhere! I have to constantly be careful!"

"You should always be careful, Carlos! The way you were just swinging the signs-"

"Boys!"

Carlos and Logan turn to Logan's mother in sync as they'd be taught. "Sorry," they say simultaneously.

"I only want to put the signs away and go back to the office. Can I trust you not to destroy the house?"

Logan takes his mother's armful with an apologetic smile. "We'll be good, Mom. I promise. Oh, I'm going to be calling Crestview; I hope to schedule an interview with them in next week."

She throws her arms around him, delivering a quick hug. "That's wonderful, Hortense. I'm sure you'll get in."

Unwilling to talk about seeing less of his way-too-smart best friend, Carlos pipes up, "Um, Mrs. Mitchell, aren't you late for a showing?" He fails at not grinning victoriously as she waves goodbye at them while running to her car and driving off again. "We're alone again, _Hortense_. Whatever shall we do?"

Logan levels a look at Carlos as he bypasses him and enters the house, the other boy hot on his heels. "You can start by losing the hoity toity talk. And stop calling me Hortense!"

* * *

"I probably should be going home." Carlos leans down to see beneath the door of the dressing room, shaking his head at the mess he can see on the floor. "If you don't pick a doctor's coat soon, Logie, I'm gonna leave you here!"

"Don't you dare leave me, Carlos." The door opens and out comes Logan, asking, "What do you think about this one? It's a poly-cotton blend so it'll be easier to clean than the- What's that look for? Ohhh, did I rip it in the back? It did feel tight when I was putting it on." Logan spins and looks at his back in one of the nearby floor-length mirrors. "Thank God, it's fine. I think I'll get this style in the next size up. Seriously, what's eating you?"

Carlos falls noisily into a chair in the dressing room's waiting area rather than answer. He stares at the floor around Logan's feet until the other boy gives up and walks away. "I don't want to grow up," he tells the empty space left behind. "It means being apart."

Logan reappears, white lab coats in hand. He places the rejects that need returning to their proper place on the rack by the area's entryway and comes back to Carlos. "I know what you need. Stand up."

Carlos lifts his eyes to Logan's knees, refusing to do as the wanna-be doctor wants. He studies Logan's knobby knees, thinking about how their hijinks have provided many of the scars he can see.

He hears Logan sigh, a white coat floats down to the next chair in his eye's periphery. Carlos feels Logan's hands slot into his armpits, hauling him to his feet before the hands traverse his back and arms encircle his torso. "Chum hug," he murmurs into Logan's shoulder as he reluctantly returns the gesture.

"Chum hug," Logan confirms. "You look like you needed it."

A grumble from Carlos' midsection becomes a growl within a millisecond, startling the boys so much they separate. "Um…."

"Let's go pay for the jacket and get you home. We can talk about tomorrow's plans after dinner." Logan laughs when Carlos' stomach agrees as they head for the register. "Don't even think about grabbing a candy bar when we go through checkout; your mom will kill you."

* * *

Kendall calls as they make their way to the Garcia home. "Logan with you?"

Carlos side-eyes the smart boy who's fidgeting with his shopping bag as they walk. "He is. What's up?"

"We've been back for almost a full day now and haven't been on the ice yet. I could use your help in practicing for Saturday's game. You in?"

* * *

Dinner is a fairly sedate affair.

Mr. and Mrs. Garcia ask about the details of their day which Carlos cheerfully provides while attacking Logan's dino nuggets with his own. The lack of reprisal doesn't bother him. That's always been his and James' thing.

Logan wordlessly clears the table and cleans the meal's dishes, brushing off words of gratitude from the Garcias with a shrug as he dries his hands.

"We're going upstairs now," Carlos calls out as he pushes Logan to the staircase where they begin their ascent. "Stop being a kiss-ass. They already like you," he hisses at the other boy three steps from the top, knowing that they're finally out of his mom's hearing range.

"Why don't _you_ kiss my ass? Your face is right there."

Carlos smacks Logan's butt with his hand instead. The sound of the hit reverberates in the tunnel-like space of the stairway. "Get your ass in my room before I finish punishing you here."

"I'd like to see you try, Carlitos. You freaked out the last time you were directly confronted with my bare ass."

Carlos feels his face heat up in the dark of the second floor hallway. It might be glowing for all he knows. "I didn't know you were in the bathroom! Try locking the door sometime."

"It's a good thing I can handle your ass. I see it a lot. I saw it earlier and I'll probably see it again tomorrow." It's Logan's turn to do the pushing, shoving Carlos a bit as he allows the room's occupant to go by and swatting Carlos' derriere for effect. "Speaking of tomorrow, what did Kendall want?"

Carlos settles on his unmade bed and waits for Logan to undig his desk chair to sit on, angling it towards the bed before answering. "He wants us to skate with him so he can practice for the invitational. You heard me tell him that I couldn't be there until after noon. As much as I love the guy, I'm not willing to give up my Logie and Carlitos time."

Logan spins in the chair to face the desk. "You got any paper in this thing?"

Carlos can't remember, but Logan always stocked up their desks at the beginning of each school year, so the odds are pretty good at least one sheet of paper could be found. "Probably," he hedges, watching Logan rifle through the small mound of debris that's accumulated in the short time they've been in Minnesota. "Why do you want paper?"

"Aha!" Logan crows, locating his prize. "What's the likelihood there's a pen too?"

Carlos rolls his eyes and runs down to the kitchen, returning with the requested item. "Now will you tell me what this is for?" he asks as he hands over the writing implement.

"Kendall's bound to ask questions about why weren't able to meet him earlier in the day. I thought if I came up with 'Logan Mitchell's Schedule of Events', it will be enough that he won't pry. Here's what I have so far: ten am- get doctor's coat for interview at Crestview-"

"We already did that," Carlos interrupts, making himself comfortable on the bed once more. "Unless you changed your mind about which one you want again, only-"

Logan cuts the rambling boy off. "He doesn't know that, Carlos. It's why it works. Can I continue?"

Carlos nods.

"Okay. Noon- 'Super Carlos' arrives. That's all I got."

"'Super Carlos'? Can't I have a cooler name?" Carlos leaps from the bed and tumbles into the closet on his right. "It's gotta be space-rock themed! Look!" he cries, throwing the costume at Logan.

Logan gingerly picks it up from where it fell at his feet, peeking at the graphic emblazoned on its chest before flinging it back where it came from. "I don't know, Carlos. Meteor Man, Asteroid Boy...something like that. Let's talk about tomorrow. Mom is supposed to be leaving around eight. I'll be alone."

"This morning was such a tease. We've been wanting this months; don't keep me waiting." Logan stands and carefully walks to the closet doorway. "It's time."

* * *

The sun is shining brightly, midway in the sky. The air around them feels so crisp, it'll have a bit of bite when they get moving. Carlos loves that feeling against his cheeks, the way his heart pounds when things get particularly wild.

"You remembered protection, right, Logie? If you end up with another minor concussion, your mom might forbid us from being together." Nothing compares to how much he loves plastering himself against Logan and holding on for dear life as they ride. The pitch of the paved road promises that it'll be good. The curve at the bottom, deserving of its nickname.

Logan produces his helmet from beneath the bag in the wagon. "I also brought a few first aid items and a sling in case we decide to take on anything else after Broken Arm Hill and Concussion Curve." He puts on the helmet, snapping the buckle beneath his chin. "Are you ready to ride Wagonie?"

Carlos nods enthusiastically, tapping his own helmet which is already on. "I'm so ready. You hold Wagonie's handle while we get into place and on three, we'll pull up our feet and go." Carlos situates himself behind Logan as they sit down in the smaller-than-remembered wagon, feet firmly on the ground and arms where they belong- around Logan. "Hey Logie?"

"What, Carlos?"

Carlos feels himself tremble with anticipation. He hopes Logan can't feel how badly he's shaking. "Look at me. Please." Even his voice quakes.

Logan half turns, eyes questioning.

Carlos watches the sweet brown doe eyes get wide, pupils growing as he tilts his head and slots his lips with Logan's. The kiss curls Carlos' toes, his eyes slam shut and he lifts his feet as he pulls Logan closer despite the first aid bag between them.

Unfortunately, Carlos fails to take into account that Logan facing him means that no one's feet are on the ground and Wagonie is now speeding down Broken Arm Hill like a runaway freight train thanks to physics when he reopens his eyes.

Logan seems to be frozen in shock. From which event, Carlos is unsure. He frantically turns the backwards facing boy to the front and mutters a quick prayer that he's done it in time to prevent Wagonie's untimely destruction.

It takes a few seconds before Logan snaps to and gets Wagonie under control.

It feels like an eternity.

Carlos' heart thunders in his ears, increasing slightly when they near Concussion Curve.

It gets navigated cleanly, turning into Butt Chap Straightaway. Logan keeps Wagonie in the middle of the lesser traveled road, avoiding the potholes along the edges, unlike the last time. Carlos chances letting go of Logan and wiggling his fingers in the air, arms thrown wide. They allow the wagon to run out of steam before attempting to stand.

"That was awesome! We need to do that again!"

Carlos jerks his head up in surprise. "Yeah?"

Logan bobs his head. "Absolutely. I'll even let you steer this time."

* * *

The walk back to the top of the hill takes the ten minutes and is the only reason that they go twice more. Carlos' enthusiasm dwindles with each ride.

At the end of the third trip, Logan glances at his watch and removes his helmet, placing it in the wagon. "We need to head back now. I'm grateful we didn't need the first aid stuff; it would've made skating with Kendall difficult."

The walk to the Mitchell residence is strangely silent.

Carlos is trailing after Logan and Wagonie, wondering if his impetuous kiss was one of those things they will never speak of. In the end, he stands in the garage, watching Logan put everything away, also not saying anything.

He breaks the heavy silence by saying, "I'm going to get my skating gear. I'll meet you at Kendall's" as he trudges away.

Carlos doesn't make it five steps before he hears a timid, "Carlos?" It stops him in his tracks. Less than a second later, hands on his shoulders are spinning him around and this time, it's Logan who dives in for a kiss.

Logan pulls back to whisper, "Don't forget your costume" near Carlos' ear. He smirks as he saunters into his house, leaving a stunned, slack-jawed Carlos behind.

The door leading to the house bangs shut bringing Carlos back to earth. He hurries home, his heart full and light, all worries about him and Logan flying away.

It's time to make Kendall's dream come true; then they'll work on Logan's.

As long as Logan's by his side, Carlos will take whatever comes his way.


End file.
